J Paul Johnson
Brendan Fraser is back, after a long hiatus from Hollywood. And so, for that matter, is director Darren Aronofsky. A24 has released the first trailer for their fall-festival breakout The Whale, a film that earned a six-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival in September, bringing Fraser to tears.
The Whale stars Fraser as Charlie, a 600-lb English teacher hoping to reconnect with his daughter, 17-year-old Ellie, played by Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink. But Charlie’s chronic binge-eating, brought on by the death of his gay lover, has led to obesity and a host of attendant issues complicating his relationship with Ellie.
After a long career, from an extra in Dogfight to lead roles in both blockbuster and prestige dramas, Fraser has appeared only scarcely onscreen in recent years. In addition to The Whale, Fraser has recently been cast in projects led by Martin Scorsese and Steven Soderbergh. Aronofsky’s film, meanwhile, is his first since 2017’s arthouse-horror, audience-dividing Mother.
Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins also star in the film, adapted from playwright Samuel D. Hunter’s play of the same name. Longtime Aronofsky collaborator Matthew Libatique is the cinematographer.
The Whale also screened at and earned similar acclaim at the Toronto International and the BFI London Film Festivals, earning Fraser some early buzz for an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination. Overall, the film’s reviews were largely positive, even if some expressed concern about the film’s potential implicit fatphobia.
The one-minute trailer is shy on narrative specifics, focusing primarily on ambiance and critical praise. Fraser’s character, seated in a dark apartment, intones slowly and optimistically: “Did you ever get the feeling… that people are incapable of not caring? People are… amazing.” Shots of Sink and other characters briefly flash across the screen, as do snippets of critical praise.
The Whale is slated to open in North American theaters December 9, 2022.
